Is this the 2021 Ford Ranger?

It looks more striking than the current model.

Mysterious images taken on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, may have revealed the next-generation Ford Ranger well ahead of its scheduled debut.

Published by Wheels magazine, the images show a design mock-up that looks nearly ready for production. Its front-end is much bolder than the current Ranger's. It borrows a handful of styling cues from the F-Series, including C-shaped headlights wrapped around a wide, chromed grille, but it looks more striking than any compact truck Ford has built to date. The rest of the design is fairly ordinary; we're evidently looking at an upmarket trim level aimed at private buyers, not a workhorse built for the construction site.

Ford hasn't commented on the leak, unsurprisingly, and Wheels concedes we may not be looking at a Ranger. The emblems are blacked out on both ends, and we can't tell what the interior looks like (assuming it has one). The truck could very well be the work of another brand.

Wheels added the next-generation Ford Ranger will make its debut in 2021. It will share its architecture with the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok, which is scheduled to arrive on the market in 2022. The Ranger will return to the American market, but it's too early to tell whether it will be joined by the Amarok.

New Ranger? Already?

The Ford Ranger began arriving in showrooms in early 2019, so it's brand-new on the American market. However, it's based on a truck that went on sale in many global markets (including Asia, Australia, and Europe) in 2011. It began arriving in showrooms in the United States as it neared the end of its life cycle elsewhere.